Unfinished ships?

[Duckfang]

I'm loving the game so far, but there's an issue that pops up sometimes that's really quite annoying.

So I just commissioned an expensive new fleet of advanced warships to be built. I go into the ships screen and turn automation off on all the ships under construction, then assign them to their fleet so they'll be ready to go once they're built.

I go away and come back a little later to discover the AI -- who I have set to handle aggressive actions against empires sometimes (my military is huge and so is my opponents; I can't keep track of everything that's going on quite yet) -- has not only taken control of the ships I explicately turned automation off for, but has also forced the unfinished ships (!!!) out of the shipyards and into battle. These ships have no fuel, no shields, and very few weapons. It's essentially a hulk with engines.

This wouldn't be -too- much of a problem, except I can't seem to convince them go to back into the shipyards to be completed and now have a whole fleet (60+ ships) of wasted resources I can't do anything with.

Am I missing something? Is there a way to order them back into the shipyards to be completed? Half of them can barely even move.

Any help would be appreciated.

Other than the above problem, though, I'm loving the game. [:)] Good job, Elliot.

[JonathanStrange]

Wow, that does appear to be a huge (or potentially huge) problem! I, too, wonder if there's something being overlooked, some auto-switch that's been turned off or on.

[Erik Rutins]

Although you had the automation turned off on the individual ships, did you have the fleet automation on? If fleet automation was off, this should not have happened. If fleet automation is on and you add ships to a fleet the AI will assume it can do things with them.

I think we do need to make some improvements in this area to automate or de-automated on a fleet by fleet level, but right now the safe bet is to keep them out of fleets (and with individual ship automation off) if you want them to stay out of combat while keeping fleet automation on for your other fleets.

[Duckfang]

ORIGINAL: Erik Rutins

Although you had the automation turned off on the individual ships, did you have the fleet automation on? If fleet automation was off, this should not have happened. If fleet automation is on and you add ships to a fleet the AI will assume it can do things with them.

I'm not sure if I had the fleet thing turned off in the main options menu, or is there another option to toggle fleet automation elsewhere that I haven't seen? I tend to toggle the one in the main menu every now and then (turning it off when I want to do things, since I noticed the AI likes to disband my fleets otherwise).

I wouldn't really mind if I could force my unfinished ships back into the shipyards to be finished, but I can't seem to even though it says when I click on them "41 components unbuilt" or something to that effect. Can I do that, or am I stuck with my half-built ships?

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Duckfang
I'm not sure if I had the fleet thing turned off in the main options menu, or is there another option to toggle fleet automation elsewhere that I haven't seen? I tend to toggle the one in the main menu every now and then (turning it off when I want to do things, since I noticed the AI likes to disband my fleets otherwise).

The main options one is what I'm talking about. If that's on, then the AI feels free to form or disband fleets and if you also have it set to automate attacks rather than suggesting them it will feel free to move a formed fleet out and attack something with it. Typically unbuilt ships would not have enough to be able to function so if they were automated they would split off, but ironically if they are not automated it (but fleets are) it will assume that you really do want them in there.

I wouldn't really mind if I could force my unfinished ships back into the shipyards to be finished, but I can't seem to even though it says when I click on them "41 components unbuilt" or something to that effect. Can I do that, or am I stuck with my half-built ships?

Once they're out of the shipyard like that, you should be able to either give them orders to "repair" at the nearest shipyard or you can use a construction ship to repair them. Honestly though, although I've cancelled/scrapped under construction ships, I'm not sure I've ever taken them out of the shipyard partially built.

[Duckfang]

Thanks a lot for the fast replies, Erik. I'll give that a try. [:)]

[HsojVvad]

Hmmm... Partially built ships leaving space dock? Sounds like the Enterprise in the Star Trek movies always understaffed or never working properly [:'(]

[RonLugge]

ORIGINAL: Davor

Hmmm... Partially built ships leaving space dock? Sounds like the Enterprise in the Star Trek movies always understaffed or never working properly [:'(]

Oh, it's not always understaffed.